


Broken Together

by Mserio



Category: She-Ra - Fandom, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Cliffhangers, Disability, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Healing, Love, Marriage Proposal, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sexual implications, Wedding, Wedding Planning, relationship, setbacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28135014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mserio/pseuds/Mserio
Summary: After sustaining a devastating injury while rebuilding Etheria, Adora must learn how to rest and heal, and Catra must learn how to grow. The two go on an emotional journey filled with setbacks and achievements as they learn about what it means to live in a war-free world. With the deadline of their wedding, Adora works hard at a seemingly impossible goal, and Catra works to redeem herself before getting married to the love of her life. Old wounds are exposed and fears are dealt with, but there is nothing Adora and Catra can't do as long as they have each other.  They may be broken, but they are broken together.
Relationships: Family - Relationship, Friendship - Relationship, Girlfriend - Relationship, Lesbian - Relationship, wlw - Relationship
Comments: 18
Kudos: 26





	1. A New Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Friends of Mara,  
> First of all, thank you so much for checking out this fanfiction. I hope it lives up to your expectations, and it fills that whole we all feel without more She-Ra in our lives ;). This fan fiction does directly relate to one I wrote a few months ago, so if you are confused at all about the backstory, please go read it! It's called Without the War, and it is posted and fully updated on my page. Without further ado, I'll let you get reading! Also, there is Shadow Weaver slander up ahead, just an fyi.

As the sun rose over Brightmoon castle, it brought with it a chilling fall wind and the promise of new beginnings. The stars, still so new to the inhabitants of Etheria, faded once again, into the brightening morn of the day. The air was growing colder and crisper with each passing day, eliciting an incoherent grumble from one of Brightmoon’s newest subjects as she picked her way through the castle’s maze like gardens.

  
As frost bit into the bare soles of her feet, Catra was starkly reminded why she hated winter so much. Cold was associated with too many memories of chattering teeth and blue lips in the Horde. The Fright Zone was a collective mound of garbage, made into a makeshift base, so the options for winter heating were limited to Horde commanders and briefing rooms. With sour recollection, Catra recalled how she and Adora used to curl up together for warmth as they slept, the only source of heat from each others bodies. A smile crept on her lips as the old memory made way for a newer, more recent one: one highlighted by Adora’s dorky smile and cushioned by the protective blanket of familiarity and warmth their embrace held.

  
Now, walking through the many hedge mazes that glittered with Jack Frost’s touch, Catra missed the comforting press of Adora’s body on hers. Every frozen inch of her wanted to creep back into the castle and slide back under the covers with her girlfriend, but she persisted forward. She had something she needed to do before Adora woke up.

  
Ahead, the wrought iron gate of her destination sent a chill, completely unrelated to the weather, coursing through her veins. The fenced area was small; a royal graveyard, aged and worn by time and grief. Inside, most of the graves were neglected, their mourners passed on years ago, but two graves stood out in abrupt contrast. One was small and insignificant, only displaying the bare minimum of information of its owner, and the other stood tall and proud, polished like its inhabitant had once been. Well, the grave didn’t actually hold a body like the others did, a fact that still confused Catra anytime she thought about it too much.

  
Anytime someone died in the Horde, a small remembrance was held while the body was thrown into the bubbling magma of the forge. There was no funeral, no speech, and no gravestone to remember the deceased by. Instead, their body was given to the Fright Zone as cruel sustenance, and the person that body had once been, was forgotten.

  
In some ways, Catra still adorned this blunt face of adversity the Horde had molded onto her, as the significance of an empty grave was still lost on her. She could only emphasize with its purpose when a dark, unbidden, but all too present thought crossed her mind. What if it was Adora?

  
The question still hit too close for comfort, since its unbearable reality had surfaced more than once. But when Catra’s mind did wander down that dark path, she knew the answer. Etheria forbid, if anything ever happened to Adora, Catra knew she would erect memorials, monuments, whole statues in her honor.

  
So, when Catra viewed it that way, she could respect wanting to memorialize the Queen’s sacrifice with a grave, even if the portal incident left no body to bury.

  
As Catra entered the graveyard, a weight settled on her shoulders, as if the souls that lived here were trying to push her into the ground beside them. The heaviness worsened as she stopped in front of Queen Angella’s grave, guilt adding to the staggering mountain of emotions that threatened to topple her.

  
She sat as waves of embarrassment and nerves battled inside of her.

  
“This is so stupid,” she sighed, her voice strained and shaky, “You’re not even here.”

  
The grave stared back at her as if to say, in that horribly posh voice of hers, “Yes, and whose fault is that?”

  
Tears sprung in Catra’s eyes, but she fought them back.

  
“Look,” Catra began, not entirely sure what she needed to say, “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I’ve been apologizing to a lot of people lately, and I’m trying to make up for what I did.”

  
“I’ve apologized to your husband, your daughter, and they’ve been stupid enough to forgive me,” Catra exhaled, “I guess I’m looking for your forgiveness to.

  
The grave did nothing, except for remind Catra for the reason it existed. Somehow, this set off her temper.

  
“Okay!” She screamed, “I get it! I don’t deserve it! I was a horrible person and I did horrible things!”

  
Catra’s voice softened as painful guilt muted her anger, “I’m so sorry I opened that portal. It was the worst decision I’ve ever made.”

  
A pause.

  
“Trust me, that says a lot,” She sniffled with a small laugh.

  
The grave stayed the same as ever. Of course, Catra thought to herself, It’s just a stupid rock. But yet again, Catra could feel a different energy coming from the grave now, so she continued.

  
“If I could go back and reverse it, I would. A thousand times over.” Catra whispered, “But I can’t. It doesn’t work that way.”

  
The grave seemed impatient again, a silent, “So what do you want,” rising from its base.

  
“I just need you to know that I’m working on being better. On doing better. I didn’t make empty promises, and I guess I just wanted you to know that.”

  
“I also needed to know that you would be okay with I’m going to do next.” Catra sighed, gripping a small box she had stored in her coat pocket, “I heard you loved Adora like a daughter. At least Glimmer told me that.”

  
A bitter laugh leaks from her lips, “I’m glad at least one of us had a good parental figure.”

  
“I just wanted to say that I love Adora. I love her and I promise to protect her. I just hope you would have been okay with this.”

  
At that, a light, playful breeze skipped through the flowers that adorned Queen Angella’s grave. Catra’s heart lifted a little, and she took this as a sign. Perhaps she would never know what the Queen would have thought of her, but she had made her peace with that.

  
Although Catra would have been content to leave the graveyard then, and never come back, she knew she couldn’t. There was one more thing she had to do. One last person she had to make peace with before she could take another step forward in her life.

  
Catra departed from Angella’s grave, the slight lift in burden she had felt, falling back onto her as she headed to the smaller, much less ornate, and cared for grave that she had been avoiding for the last six months.

  
The marble was the same white as Angella’s, but no beautiful flowers had been laid at its base. Nor had the grass around its plaque been trampled and stomped from a constant flow of visitors. Catra wasn’t even sure why this particular grave was in the royal graveyard at all. It’s owner wasn’t deserving of the honor, despite how many people saw her as a hero for her sacrifice.

  
A hot flash of anger warms her arms at those words forced together: hero and Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver hadn’t been a hero. Heros sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Heroes laid everything on the line for the people they loved. Heroes were people like Angella, Adora, and Glimmer. Shadow Weaver had made a last ditch effort to redeem herself, and got killed in the process. That wasn’t sacrifice, it was justice.

  
Catra couldn’t associate one good feeling or memory with Shadow Weaver, but looking down at her grave, she couldn’t feeling happy with her death either. An ugly greif wrenched her heart out of her chest, knowing that what little remained of her mother figure was buried beneath her feet. Perhaps she just needed to do the impossible, and thank Shadow Weaver for her sacrifice. Maybe then she could finally move on.

  
“Thanks, I guess,” Catra grumbled to the dirt, “You said that Adora and I had a future together, and you were right. So, I guess I should be thanking you for making that possible.”

  
Catra’s words felt meaningless and unfinished in her mouth, but she couldn’t think of what else to say, so she turned away from the grave and headed towards the gate. She couldn’t shake the tethered feeling she had to the grave, so she accepted that maybe she would always feel tied to Shadow Weaver, even if it was the last thing she wanted.

  
No less than a couple steps later, however, Catra’s old spitefulness surged, spinning her back around and marching her back in front of the grave.

  
“You know what,” Catra seethed, “I’m so done with your manipulative bullshit. Even from beyond the grave you can’t stop messing me up. Haven’t you done enough?”

  
Catra was now yelling, not caring if someone heard.

  
“You fucked me up in every way imaginable. You made me feel worthless. And now you expect me to thank you for that? Well guess, what. I am thanking you for dying. I’m glad you’re gone.” Catra’s voice broke, every emotion she had pent up about her abusive mother spewing out.

  
“Every bad decision I made was because of you! That’s what treating someone like shit for 20 years does!”

  
Catra took a ragged breath, her angry sobs and yelling making it hard to breath the cold air in.

  
“Don’t ever expect me to thank you for what you did at the heart. You only did it because you realized how fucked up you were for convincing Adora to take that failsafe. For convincing her that she was only worth what she could sacrifice.”

  
Catra panted for a few minutes, wiping her mouth on her sleeve and trying to slow her pounding heart.

  
“I’m done being a product of your actions. You are not accountable for what Adora and I have. We are. And I’m done pretending that you were ever anything more than a manipulative bitch.”

  
Catra felt the fiery hate she had let out, drain from her, and a lightness replace it. Something she had screamed had snapped whatever connection she had been holding onto. Shadow Weaver would always be the closest thing she had had to a mother, but that didn’t mean she had to thank her for that. Her real parents were probably buried somewhere on Etheria, their grave unmarked and unnamed due to the Horde, and that was something she could never forgive.

  
Finally having caught her breath, Catra turned away from the grave and said, “Thanks. I really needed that.” A smirk turned the corner of her mouth up. The heavy feeling had dissipated, and this time, as she headed towards the gate, she didn’t look back.

By the time Catra had made it back to the castle, everyone was bustling around, preparing for the day. No one seemed to notice as she slunk through the hallways, picking her way back to her room. Catra couldn’t care less, honestly. She was doing her part to improve, and if some people didn’t want to accept that, she wasn’t going to force them.

  
Catra checked her and Adora’s room, but their bed was empty. Adora must have started her day already. Usually Catra would be disheartened to not spend time with her girlfriend before the day started, but today she was grateful for the time alone. Today she had to mentally prepare herself for something both impossible and easy.

  
Catra sat on the end of the bed, and pulled the small box she had kept in her pocket all morning, out. The box itself was dark, polished wood, but its true treasure rested inside on a satin pillow. Catra opened the box to reveal a dainty ring.

  
A few weeks ago, shortly after Catra decided to propose, she had snuck out to the Brightmoon blacksmith and asked if she could use their tools to make something. With their permission, Catra had spent hours forging the ring out of the retired metal of her old mask. Despite the mask representing everything Catra used to be, she couldn’t bring herself to throw it away, but she also couldn’t go around wearing it again. Thus, she decided to turn it into a ring for Adora. She supposed it probably held a deeper meaning, but Catra didn’t like to dive into sentimentality.

  
Now, after weeks of careful crafting, the ring was finished; a simple dark maroon band with the first one’s word for “promise” inscribed on it. Catra liked the idea of only Adora knowing what it said, so she had spent hours among translation books and first one’s scripts to figure out the perfect inscription.

  
Too busy admiring and puzzling at the ring, Catra didn’t see the broad-shouldered boy standing in the doorway until he announced himself with a loud, and very excited, “Oh my gosh!”

  
Catra jumped, and the box flew out of her and hand skidded across the floor.

  
“Bow!” she screeched, “You can’t sneak up on me like that!”

  
Unbothered by her complaints, Bow walked forward with a look of complete shock as he scooped the box up from the ground. He giddily looked at Catra,waving the ring around frantically.

  
Catra groaned. There really was no way of getting out of this.

  
“Yes, before you ask, Arrow Boy, it is what you think,” Catra answered before he could ask.

  
Bow squealed, tears springing in the corners of his eyes, “So you two are going to get married?”

  
Catra rolled her eyes. “Yes, but give me that back before the whole castle finds out, would you?”

Bow nodded, barely keeping the tears from sliding down his cheeks. He planted the box back into Catra’s waiting hand, before running out of the room, screaming, “Glimmer! Get in here! You have to see this!”

  
Damn, Catra thought, That boy really can’t keep anything to himself. Catra tried to act annoyed, but some horrible, soft side of her found it cute.

  
Before Catra could try to hide the ring, Glimmer had teleported into the center of the room, spotted the ring, and attacked her with a full frontal hug. Unable to contain his tears, Bow let out a sob and joined the hug, crushing Catra under their weight.

  
“Wow. You guys really approve that much?” Catra remarked. She meant it as a joke, but her voice betrayed her very real fear.

  
Glimmer let go of her. She held back a watery smile, but her eyes were fierce and serious.

  
“Of course we do, Catra.” Glimmer said, taking Catra’s hands in her own.

  
Bow nodded his head, wiping the tears from his cheeks, “Catra, I have to admit. When we first met, you threw me off a cliff, so I didn’t like you much.”

  
“Wow, thank you Arrow Boy.” Catra deadpanned.

  
“Buuuut,” Bow continued, “You’ve changed and grown so much. Even after everything that’s happened to Adora lately, I’ve never seen her this happy.”

  
“I’ve never seen you this happy either, Catra.” Glimmer added on.

  
“You make each other so happy. And that just makes me happy.” Bow’s voice was cracking again, “And- I ju-just love you guys sooo much!”

  
Bow finished, unleashing another wailing sob. He flung himself on top of the two girls for another hug.

“Like it or not, Horde Scum,” Glimmer said, squeezing Catra tight, “you’re family now.”

  
Now it was Catra’s turn to get teary. The whole scene was sappy and sickly sweet, but Catra wasn’t the stone cold monster she used to be, and some of the sentiment found its way to her heart.

  
Not all of it, though, since after a few minutes, Catra was getting aware of her personal space again. Knowing that Glimmer and Bow could stay like this all day, she took it upon herself to slip out of their grasp.

  
“Sooo,” Bow said, raising his eyebrows, “What’s the plan? Do you need help?”

  
“Actually, I’ve got it all figured out.” Catra said, wincing only slightly at the disappointed look on her friends’ faces.

  
“How come you didn’t tell us?!” Glimmer screeched.

  
“I actually thought about telling you.” Catra said to Glimmer, “But I couldn’t risk Arrow Boy finding out.”

  
At that, Bow actually looked kind of hurt.

  
“What?” Catra said defensively, “Bow can’t keep a secret for the life of him.”

  
Bow opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Glimmer.

  
“Actually, you’re right about that.”

  
“Hey!” Bow objected.

  
“Admit it, Bow,” Glimmer retorted, “You’re barely able to keep yourself from running to Adora right now.”

  
“Okay fine,” Bow gave in, “I just want tell her congratulations!”

  
“NO!” Catra and Glimmer yelled in unison.

  
“Fine,” Bow harrumphed, sitting on the bed.  
Catra pinched her her nose and shook her head, “Do you think you can keep him away from Adora for a day?”

  
Glimmer’s eyes sparkled at the chance to help, “Of course!”

  
“Great! Now can you guys please leave me alone? I need to think about what I’m going to say.” Catra asked. Glimmer and Bow obliged, leaving the room with annoyingly sweet smiles and glassy eyes.

  
Before Glimmer could completely exit the room however, Catra grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back.

  
“Actually, there is one thing I need your help with.”

  
“Anything.” Glimmer urged.

  
“I need you to teleport us to Thaymour.”

The day had crept by with alarming speed. Before she knew it, it was time for Catra to pick up Adora from physical therapy.

  
Catra cringed at the thought of how much pain Adora had been through the past few months. Six months ago, on an ill-fated mission to liberate a seaside town from Horde clones, Adora had pushed herself too far and gotten seriously injured. Clones had captured her and incapacitated her with a prototype of Prime’s virus: a virus that made it impossible for Adora to transform into She-Ra. Then, hoping to finish her off for killing Horde Prime, they stuck a spear through her back. Catra trembled at the memory of Adora hunched over, a horrible spear skewering her, back to front.

  
After visiting Adora in her recovery room and having a very difficult conversation, Catra had snuck off and paid that clone a visit. The guards found his body a week later, washed up on the sandy shores of Selineus. Funnily enough, no one questioned the suspicious circumstances of his death.

  
The path to recovery had been a long and hard one since. It took Entrapta three months of First One’s tech, multiple chemically created treatments, and healing doas before she successfully got rid of the green veins, signifying the virus’s presence in Adora’s body. After that was when the hard work really began.

  
At first the doctors had thought Adora lucky, and told Catra that she would have relatively little permanent damage. After one attempt to walk, both Adora and Catra had realized how wrong they had been. Catra very clearly remembered Adora’s cries of anguish as the doctors tried to help her stand. They only stopped their attempts when Adora had collapsed on the floor in tears, screaming that she couldn’t feel one of her legs, and the other was in too much pain to move. It had taken every ounce of self control she had to not attack those doctors where they stood.

  
She wasn’t the only one either. She distinctly remembered Glimmer’s fist shaking in anger when the doctors left the room, emitting dangerous puffs of glitter. When the doctors had the audacity to come back and tell them that Adora apparently had received damage to her spinal cord, it was Glimmer who started the outburst.

  
She and Catra had traded off yelling at the doctors for their incompetence and refusal to listen to Adora the first time she told them she couldn’t feel anything in one of her legs. A week later, there was an official order from the Queen for them to leave the palace infirmary and find work elsewhere.

  
It had been three months since Adora began going to daily physical therapy sessions with Netossa, and she wasn’t much improved. Castaspella had been able to heal her pain enough to get it manageable, but as she had explained, there was only so much magic could do. As a testament to that, Adora’s attempts to transform had been fruitless as well. She could conjure the sword, but anytime she made the smallest progress in transforming, her body would seize, and all her hard work would disappear. To refrain from any more setbacks, they all agreed She-Ra could wait until Adora was in better shape.

  
Catra was dragged out of her memories by the creak of a door opening in front of her. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even realise she had arrived at the palace gym. Expecting to see Adora, Catra was slightly shocked to see Netossa standing in her place, a exasperated smile plastered on her face.

  
“Where’s Adora?” Catra asked.

  
“Come in,” Netossa chuckled, “She wants to show you something.”

  
Confused, Catra obliged and stepped into the gym, expecting to see Adora, sitting in the wheelchair she so vehemently hated. Instead, she was greeted by a standing Adora. Well, a partially standing Adora. She was leaned forward on a pair of crutches, testing the weight of her left leg gingerly. Entrapta buzzed around her excitedly, a pen and paper clutched tightly in her hair.

  
Adora wore a look of complete concentration: her brow furrowed, and her tongue sticking slightly out. It was cute, Catra had to admit, but she kept that observation to herself. She was so concentrated on maneuvering the crutches, she didn’t even notice Catra until she was close enough to flick that stupid little hair puff of hers.

  
“Hey, dumb-dumb,” Catra said, “What’s going on here?”

  
Adora looked up and smiled; a true, genuine smile. Those were rare after physical therapy sessions.

  
“Hey, Catra,” Adora said, excitement evident in her tone, “Check it out! I can walk!”

  
To demonstrate, Adora took a wobbly step forward, nearly tripping over in the process. She caught herself with a huff.

  
“Well, sort of,” she smiled, blowing hair out of her face.

  
“So does this mean no more wheelchair?” Catra asked hopefully. She knew how much Adora hated sitting still. Or at least that’s what Adora said she hated about her wheelchair. Catra knew it had to do with the helplessness that plagued Adora. They only talked about it late at night, when both of them were too tired to keep up the walls they had built around their insecurities.

  
“No, no.” Netossa came up behind them. “Adora, we agreed that you could use this only if you promised to take it slow. This is a _sometimes_ thing.”

  
“Yes!” Entrapta piped up, tearing her attention away from something she had been fiddling with on Adora’s “better” leg. “It would not be advisable for Adora to have the assistant on for more than a couple of hours a day.”

  
“Excuse me, wait,” Catra interrupted, “Assistant?”

Entrapta smiled, innovation sparkling behind her eyes. “YES! I created a walking assistant for Adora! Now she can use crutches!”

  
Entrapta motioned at Adora’s left leg, where Catra could now see a metal brace fitted tightly on Adora’s knee, hip, and thigh. It emitted a soft whirring noise, and everytime Adora moved, you could hear the chinking of gears turning.  
“Wait, are we sure this is safe?” Catra asked. She was still wary of anything Entrapta invented, since her inventions usually had the tendency to explode or go haywire.

  
Entrapta simply nodded, so Adora spoke up, “Yeah! We’ve been trying it out all week. I wanted to surprise you.”

  
At the mention of a surprise Catra flushed, and realized that they needed to get a move on if she wanted to pull tonight off.

“Well,” Catra mused, “If you’re not going to turn into a giant robot, do you want to go get cleaned up for dinner?”

  
“I would love to. But no promises on the giant robot thing,” Adora chuckled, “Knowing Entrapta, this thing could have built in laser guns.”

  
“Ooh! I didn’t think of that!” Entrapta squealed, “Great idea!”

  
Adora and Catra shared a look, trying to bite their laughter back until they were in the privacy of the hallway.

As Adora cleaned up and got ready, the nerves that had stayed at bay all day, started to attack her from every angle. She found herself practicing the breathing exercises Perfuma was teaching her, trying and failing to ease the tight knot of anxiety in her chest. Seedless doubts chased each other across her mind, making her question everything.

  
_What if this was too soon?_   
_Maybe now’s not the right time?_   
_What if she says no?_

  
Catra bit her cheek at that last possibility. She wouldn’t let her mind wander that path again. She squeezed the engagement box so tight, she worried she might leave claw marks in it.

  
Too soon and not soon enough, Adora exited the bathroom unsteadily, still getting the hang of her new crutches. Although she wore the same outfit she wore every day, her beauty stunned Catra’s rapid heartbeat into a slow thud. She couldn’t tell if it was the radiant smile she wore, or the fact that the reality of tonight was finally sinking in, but Catra swore she had never seen Adora look so beautiful.

  
Clearing her throat, Catra stood and joined Adora at her side, “Are you sure you want to use that thing tonight? I’m going to laugh so hard if you fall on your face.”

  
Adora rolled her eyes and said, “Yes. We’re just going to dinner, right? Its not like I haven’t embarrassed myself in front of of those guys a thousand times. Did I tell you about the time I duct-taped myself to Darla’s dashboard?”

  
Avoiding her first question, Catra nodded and said, “Yes. I’m pretty sure I would go back in time to witness that first hand.”

  
Catra opened their bedroom door, and stepped out into the hallway behind Adora, where they ran straight into Glimmer a few seconds later. Catra’s nerves settled a little bit. At least the plan was going smoothly.

  
“Hey guys! Where are you headed?” Glimmer asked, trying way to hard to sound nonchalant. Catra rolled her eyes; Sparkles was being painfully obvious.

  
Luckily, ever-oblivious Adora seemed none the wiser. “Dinner. Are you coming?”

  
“Yes! How about…” Glimmer’s eyes slid over to Catra for confirmation, “I give you two a lift to the dining room!”

  
“No, you don’t have to. Plus, you know how much Catra hates tele-” Adora was cut off by Glimmer grabbing them both roughly by the shoulders, and blipping them away from the castle. A gleeful grin was spread across her face as Catra felt the world dissolve around her.

  
 _Note to self_ , Catra thought as her stomach turned while they teleported, _Sparkles enjoys this way too much._

  
Luckily, before Catra got sick, a welcome gust of fresh air hit her face, erasing her nausea and replacing it with excitement and dread. It was now or never.

  
They had teleported on to the peak of a hill that overlooked the town of Thaymour. Beside them, the wind gracefully danced through the golden amber leaves of a willow tree, and below Catra could see the clearing in which she and Adora had fallen apart so many years ago.

  
Glimmer kissed them both on the cheek before teleporting away, leaving a totally bewildered Adora.

  
“Wait, Glimmer!” Adora yelled, “I think you took us to the wrong place!”

  
Catra placed her hand on Adora’s shoulder, and looked her directly in the pale blue eyes that made her sway.

  
“No, she didn’t.” Catra assured her.

  
“What’s going on?” Adora asked.

  
Catra just smiled and tried to pull off a knowing laugh when she bent down on one knee and pulled out the ring. Adora gasped, realization slapping her in the face with such a force she swayed on her crutches.  
“Adora,” She said, her first words shaky, “This is the spot where we broke our promise. We had promised to look out for each other, and if we did that, nothing really bad could happen. And breaking that promise was the worst mistake of my life.”

  
Tears sprung up in Adora’s eyes, causing a well of her own to rise as well. Adora let go of her crutches so she could take Catra’s spare hand into her own, shaking ones, relying solely on her balance to stay upright.

  
“So,” she continued, trying to stem the flow of tears from her eyes, “This is the spot where I want to reinstate that promise, but I want to change it.”

  
At this point, Adora was smiling and crying with equal intensity. “Catra…”

  
“Would you let me finish, idiot?”

  
“I want to change it, because we were dumb little kids when we made that promise to each other. We were naive to think that nothing bad would happen to us, but I think the core of that promise still holds some water. Anyways, I want to ask you if you will keep this promise with me. If you take this ring, I promise to always look out for you and you promise to look out for me. And I think if we do that, we can withstand anything that comes our way.”

  
Catra’s throat was constricted and her voice was tight with emotion, but she pushed out the final question, “Adora, will you marry me?”

  
Adora released a shaky “Yes” before flinging herself into Catra’s arms, forgetting about her crutches, and kissing her with such force that they both toppled over in the grass. They spent a little too long kissing, and crying, and laughing before realizing they hadn’t even put the stupid ring on.

  
Catra sat up, lightheaded from pure, giddy joy, and retrieved the ring from its forgotten spot in the grass. She opened the box (something she had forgotten to do one one knee), and slid the ring onto Adora’s finger.

  
Adora stared at it, whispering the inscription under her breath. “Promise.”

  
“Catra, is this made from what I think it is?” Adora asked.

  
“Yeah,” Catra ventured, “Do you like it?”  
  
For a second, Adora didn’t answer, and Catra worried that the mask had been a bad idea, before she realized that Adora was crying.

  
“I love it,” she sobbed, pulling Catra in for a hug.

  
“Don’t go reading too much into this.” Catra smirked, “I wouldn’t want you to think I like you or anything.”

  
Adora laughed in between sniffles. “I love you, Catra.”

  
In that moment, Catra had never felt so connected to someone in her life. If this was what marriage was like, she could get used to it.

  
“I love you too, Princess,” Catra whispered.

  
“One question,” Adora pulled away, “How are we getting back?”

  
Catra smirked, and put her fingers to her lips in a shrill whistle.

  
“You can come out now!” Catra called.

  
At her shout, two guilty observers stepped out from behind the willow tree. Both of their faces were screwed up and tears flowed like waterfalls from their eyes.

  
“You let Glimmer and Bow spy on us?” Adora laughed, almost in disbelief.

  
“Ha, not exactly,” Catra grinned, “I didn’t tell them to stay. But I knew they would.”

  
“We’re sorry,” Bow apologized, “We just couldn’t miss it.” He let out a wail and burst into tears again.

  
“That was really sweet, guys!” Glimmer smiled, helping Adora back onto her crutches, “We’re so happy for you.”

  
Unable to contain his affection any longer, Bow pulled the three of them into a crushing hug.

  
“Best Friend Squad hug!” Bow shouted gleefully.

  
The four of them laughed and hugged each other for a while, and for once, Catra didn’t think of letting go any time soon.


	2. Certainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora works hard at a seemingly impossible goal, but she will do anything for Catra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Oh my god, I am actually so excited to upload this chapter. Its emotional, fluffy, and even gets a little heated. I'm sorry I didn't upload this sooner, especially since I said I would have it up before Christmas. However, this chapter is a lot longer than the first one, so I think that's why it took me longer. Just as an FYI, Adora does have some pretty negative relationships with her disability, and I just wanted to make it clear that I do not see disability as a weakness nor do I want to offend anyone who is disabled. If something about the way I depicted disability is problematic, please let me know and know that it was not purposeful. I just think this is how Adora would deal with not being able to walk.   
> Well, with no further ado, please get reading! As always let me know your thoughts and criticisms in the comments!

Shy rays of sunlight slipped out from behind the horizon, cutting through the dark of the night and signaling the beginning of a new day. For Adora, it was the beginning of not only a new day, but a new life. A new beginning for her and Catra.

That was why she was awake so early. Not due to terrifying nightmares or late night panic attacks, as her lack of sleep usually was to blame for. No, this morning her brain had awoken her with much brighter visions. Visions of the future with Catra she had so desperately fought for.   
Her hand absentmindedly clutched at the ring on her finger, searching for reassurance that she wasn’t living in a dream. Or worse, an illusion. Adora was all too familiar with people using her biggest dreams and darkest fears to manipulate her into doing what they wanted. It was the First One’s specialty afterall. But as Adora felt the cold physicality of the ring on her finger, and saw no signs of her surroundings glitching, her fear of trickery, lessened.  
To be absolutely sure, she turned to her side and faced Catra, who was sleeping heavily, a soft purr rising from her throat with each breath. She reached out and placed her hand on Catra’s chest, feeling the steady beat of her heart. It was a rhythm she knew well. One she listened to every night as they lay together, trying to find peace in sleep.  
Assured by the steady thrum of life she felt on her hand, Adora’s nerves were erased. It all, truly was real. A profound, liquid happiness filled her heart, overflowing into the rest of her body.   
It almost hurt to feel this happy. This at peace. 

Of course, as with almost everything in Adora’s life, the bubble of content she had created for herself, was burst when she tried to shift her leg so she could sit up. A paralyzing strike of pain ran from the small of her lower back, all the way down to her left foot. It held for a few seconds, eliciting a small groan from Adora, before subsiding. The injuries she had sustained from her foolish heroics, still plagued her even six months later. Her left leg was in agony most of the time, but the pain she could deal with. In some ways, she even appreciated it, because it reminded her of what she could have lost that day. It also was better than the hopeless dread that filled her, when not even physical therapy or healing sessions could make her right leg aware of anything. It had been numb and immobile since the accident, and largely contributed to her need for the wheelchair she so adamantly hated using.

Usually she could get ready for the day by herself, but after using those crutches for so long, her left leg was in much more pain than usual. Eventually, her hisses and yelps woke up Catra beside her, who blinked several times before she was awake enough to realize what was going on.

“Hey Adora,” Catra whispered, her voice hoarse from sleep, “What are you doing?”  
“Nothing,” Adora quipped, trying to sound amicable, “You should go back to sleep. I’m fine.” 

To prove her point she tried to drag her leg up to her chest, but her body contradicted her positive attitude. Nerve pain surged through her leg and lower back, and although she bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, she couldn’t keep the pain from reaching her face.

“No, you’re not,” Catra said, getting up with an ease Adora envied, “It’s from using those crutches all last night, isn’t it?”

Before she could deny it, Catra had made it to her side of the bed. Gently, she scooped Adora up bridal style. In the six months of being bedridden, Adora had lost a lot of weight. While it made it much easier for Catra to pick her up when needed, Adora was thoroughly embarrassed by it.   
Thanks to physical therapy, she had begun to build up her arm and core strength again, but her legs remained as atrophied as ever. She hated it. Once, she had been a universal sign of strength, and now she couldn’t even get out of bed on her own. 

Catra helped Adora get dressed; something that had initially been awkward for both of them, they had now turned into a science. Their relationship had been full of uncomfortable moments and awkward desires in the beginning, but with time and advice from an older same-sex couple, Adora noticed how they worked as a well-oiled machine now. They knew exactly what each other wanted, and more importantly, what they needed. And to think, a year ago, Adora hadn’t even been aware of her feelings for Catra, and now they were getting married.

The fact struck her like a bolt of lightning again, making her freeze as Catra brushed her hair.

“You okay?” Catra asked, dragging the brush down slowly.  
“Catra,” Adora whispered, her voice wavering slightly, “This is real, right?”  
Catra set down the brush, and bent down in front of her. Instead of answering, she leaned forward and kissed her passionately. A different kind of electricity thrummed through her, pleasantly waking every nerve in her body. The kiss felt more real than anything else, and sufficed as a better answer than words.  
Catra pulled away and smirked at Adora’s lopsided grin, “You’re such a dork.”  
“A dork you decided to marry,” she said as Catra stood.  
“Don’t remind me.” Catra laughed, pulling Adora’s hair into her signature ponytail.

Adora tilted her head back and forth in the mirror, admiring her girlfriend’s handywork. She had gotten surprisingly good at perfecting her hair poof, despite how much Catra still teased her about it.  
A playful memory of teenage Catra pawing at her new hairstyle, surfaced in her mind. She marveled at Catra, who was now brushing her own hair. 

“What?” Catra laughed, noticing Adora’s dopy stare.  
“Nothing,” Adora chuckled, “I just-. You’ve changed a lot. If someone had told me a year ago, that you would be doing my hair… well, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.”  
“Actually,” Adora continued, “There’s a lot of things happening now, I wouldn’t have believed a year ago.”  
“What?” Catra mocked shock, “You wouldn’t have believed that your ex-best friend, who was actively trying to kill you, was actually madly in love with you?”

Catra tried to keep a devilish smirk on her face, but her blush was heavily combatting its effectiveness.

“Wait a minute,” Adora teased, “Did you just say ‘madly in love’? Were you ‘mad’ for me?”  
“What?” Catra flustered, “No! I wasn’t madly in love. I didn’t say that!”  
“Too late,” she countered, “I heard it. You said it. Its basically history now.”  
“Ughh,” Catra groaned, “There’s no winning with you, is there Princess?”

“Nope,” Adora smiled smugly. She reached up and grabbed Catra’s collar, dragging her down so her face was directly above her own, “Just losing.”  
“Maybe I should lose more often,” Catra whispered. The moment held them both there for several seconds, but just as Adora was about to kiss her, a muffled knock sounded at the door.

“Guys!” Glimmer yelled, “Breakfast is ready! Come down! We already told everyone you had news to share!”

Catra groaned, pulling away from Adora, taking with her the desire that had sparked in her heart. 

“You know,” Catra said as she wheeled Adora from the room, “When I proposed, I kind of forgot about the whole telling people part. Maybe we could skip it.”  
“Fat chance,” Adora said, “If we don’t tell them, Bow definitely will.”  
Catra laughed, and pushed Adora into the hallway. 

The morning had been amazing, filled with delight and intense realism that Adora appreciated. There was only one thing tainting her joy. She wanted to be walking down the hallway, hand in hand with Catra, on equal footing. Instead she was being pushed in a wheelchair, too weak to even stand on her own.  
A sour image of her on crutches, or worse, in a wheelchair being pushed down the aisle, slid into her head. She wanted to be on her own two feet when she got married. She had worked so hard for this future; she couldn’t go into it sitting down.

An idea popped into her head; something crazy and seemingly impossible. But instead of feeling diminished, it sparked a fire inside of her. The type of fire Adora hadn’t felt since doing things related to the rebellion. She knew exactly what she had to do.

“I want to walk down the aisle.”

It was late afternoon, and Adora had just begun her daily physical therapy session with Netossa. She had just blurted out the idea that had been bugging her all day.

“What?” Netossa asked with a puzzled look.  
“I want to walk down the aisle,” Adora repeated, “You know, at my wedding?”

For a second, she could see the frustration building on Netossa’s face, but before it could fully materialize, realization softened her furrowed brows and tight lips.

“Adora,” Netossa began softly, kneeling in front of her, “We talked about the walking thing. You’re still healing, and trying it right now might do more harm than good.”

Netossa looked at her sympathetically, but right now, her smile felt more patronizing than supportive.

“Netossa,” Adora began, “Please, can we just try? I promise I’ll take it slow. I’ll listen to everything you say. I-”  
“Adora!” Netossa snapped, cutting her off, “Enough!”

Tears sprung in her eyes, but before she could even begin to build resentment towards Netossa, she found herself being enveloped in the her arms.

“Shit,” Netossa whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I just don’t think you’re ready yet.”

Netossa let go of her, and Adora leaned forward, putting her head in her hands so that she couldn’t see the tears rolling down her cheeks. She bit the inside of her mouth to try and stim her emotions, but something ugly was twisting her heart.

“Shit,” Netossa repeated, “I’m sorry.”  
Adora lifted her head, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.   
“No, no.” Adora sniffled, “It’s not your fault.”  
Adora took a ragged breath, the pain in her heart scorching her throat.  
“It’s just so hard sometimes,” Adora hitched, “I used to be She-Ra. Can you believe that?”  
Adora motioned to herself.  
“Would anyone ever believe that I saved the universe once?”

Netossa sighed, “Yes they would. Anyone who has known you for half a second would be able to tell how strong you are. This-” Netossa gripped the wheelchair handle, “doesn’t define you.”  
Adora loosened the breath she had been holding, and some of the pain in her chest subsided.  
“You will walk again, Adora. I know it. I just think you need more time to heal.” Netossa finished.

Adora nodded her head, mulling the idea over. In the state she was in now, she knew it would be nearly impossible to be walking in six months. But an older, much more stubborn part refused her complacency. 

“When you and Spinnerella got married, how did you feel when you walked down the aisle?” Adora asked.  
“It was the best feeling in the world.” Netossa answered simply.  
“Why?”   
Netossa smiled wistfully, sitting on the floor in front of of Adora. A serene look of happy nostalgia washed over her.   
“Because I knew I was marrying my best friend. You know, in that moment I had never been so sure of who my person was,” Netossa laughed, letting the memory overwhelm her. “When I walked down that aisle, I was walking into something certain. Something not even the war or whatever other shit was going on, could mess with, ya know.”  
Adora nodded.  
Comprehension dawned on Netossa’s face and she let out a small “Oh.”  
“Yeah,” Adora agreed, “Look, I know it's stupid, but I just want that, you know? I mean after everything Catra and I have been through, I can’t- I can’t- ughhh.”

She stuttered, unsure of what she was trying to say.

“I have to go into this on my own two feet. We’ve worked so hard to get where we are, and I just- I have to- I need to do this.”  
Netossa bit her lip, and stood to pace the room a few times. It was only when she let out a frustrated groan that Adora knew she had her convinced.   
“Okay, fine! Fine!” Netossa grumbled.  
“Yes!” Adora pumped her fist in the air.  
“But listen,” Netossa scolded, “If we are going to do this. We are doing it my way, got it?”  
“Okay! Yes, of course!” Adora agreed quickly, trying to control the excitement in her voice, “Totally. I’m cool. I’m cool.”

Netossa smiled knowingly, and Adora smiled back, trying show show her appreciation in the quick glance. She knew she could be a handful for Netossa most of the time, but after the months of physical therapy, Adora was beginning to suspect that Netossa cared for her more than she let on. Sure, she was strict and a pusher, but Adora couldn’t help but look to her for guidance anytime she became overwhelmed.

What if Shadow Weaver were still around? Adora wondered, What would her reaction to all this be?

An unwelcome image of Shadow Weaver pushing her to walk again, yelling and screaming because of her incompetence, fought its way into her mind’s eye. Of course, Adora couldn’t even confirm that Shadow Weaver would even go as far as trying to help Adora after the accident. She had never been to big on lost causes.

Now, as Netossa helped her through her daily routines, all while keeping a kind smile on her face, Adora was thankful that Shadow Weaver was buried in the palace gardens. Her death had been the only thing that really brought her to terms with how awful of a supposed-mother she had been.   
Netossa was everything Shadow Weaver wasn’t. Kind under the pressure of the impossible. Understanding in the face of complexity. And most importantly, she was there whenever Adora needed her. Even if it was just for relationship advice, or figuring out how exactly she was supposed to live a normal life.

The day was spent going through their daily therapeutic routines, and for a hot minute, Adora worried that Netossa was avoiding her earlier request. However, after they had finished all their normal stuff, Netossa brought her over to a pair of parallel bars.  
“Are you ready for this?” Netossa asked, helping Adora out of her wheelchair.  
“Kind of.” She laughed nervously. Last minute doubts began to chip away at her certainty as the parallel bars loomed in front of her.  
“Its okay. We’re going to take it really slow.” Netossa assured her, “I just want to see how long you can stay on your feet.”

Adora nodded, and changed her grip over from Netossa to the bars, using mainly her arm strength to keep herself upright. Slowly, she released less and less tension in her arms, putting more and more weight on her legs, until she was just holding onto the bars for balance.  
“Ha!” She exclaimed excitedly, “I’m doing i-”  
She was cut off by a rude flash of pain that sent her flailing to the ground, smacking her chin on the bars, and sending all of her desires and dreams jeering back at her. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

Adora returned to her room late that night, drenched in sweat and dejection. Her first day of trying to stand had flopped miserably. After her first fall, she had continued the same exercise for more than an hour, her stubbornness attributing to her refusal to stop. Her record for staying on her feet was topped out at two seconds, and despite putting everything she had into it, her progress just stared back at her with shame.   
The doubts that had started nagging her with her first attempt, had only grown stronger and more incessant. They widened her insecurities and destroyed her confidence, until she was only left with futile dreams and unattainable goals.

Catra was already in bed, her back turned to the door, and her chest rising with what Adora assumed to be peaceful breaths. Although Catra typically was a night owl, she couldn’t blame her for turning in early today. Afterall, she had spent the entire day with Mermista, helping rebuild Selineas. She knew it to be an emotionally draining project for Catra, and whenever she came back from working with Mermista, she was always downhearted and tired. Adora couldn’t imagine how painful it would be to constantly be reminded of a past you had no pride in, but she also knew Catra was doing what she needed to do. 

Too tired to actually shower, Adora settled with wiping her face off and changing into some pajamas before hopping into bed. She turned to Catra, studying the details of her back like she always did when she was bored. Her eyes found the base of her neck, where a white, spider webbed scar lay; a permanent gift from Horde Prime. Unlike normal, her scar was red and inflamed, one long, deep scratch running through its center. With horror, Adora lightly ran her thumb over the mark, causing Catra to release a sharp gasp.

“Catra, are you awake?” Adora whispered.  
“Yes.” Catra croaked back, her voice raspy.

Adora grabbed her girlfriend by the shoulders, and twisted her around so they were facing each other. Catra was hugging herself tightly, her claws digging into her skin to the point of puncture. Her beautiful blue and yellow eyes were red-rimmed and slick with tears, and her ears were flat against her head.

“Catra,” she started, “Did- um- did you have a flashback?”  
Catra nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking like pearly escapees from her lashes. Adora swallowed, knowing all too well what those felt like. She grabbed Catra’s head and pulled it close to hers, touching their foreheads like they used to as kids.

“When did it happen?” Adora asked, wiping her tears away with her thumb.  
Catra swallowed and looked down when she answered, “A few hours ago.”

A retort rose to the back of her throat. She and Catra had been there for each other through each and every one of their reality breaks or traumatic flashbacks. The fact that Catra hadn’t come to get her for this one made her heart twist in pain.

“Why didn’t you come get me?” Adora asked, trying to not sound hurt.  
“I almost did,” Catra said, “But I ran into Netossa, and she said you were having a rough day. I didn’t want to bother you.”

If Adora could kick herself, she would’ve. They were supposed to be there for each other, but thanks to her stupid injury, Catra was shutting herself away. She couldn’t let that happen again.

“Catra, look at me, please.” Adora said, cupping Catra’s face in her hands, “I’m here for you. I always will be, okay? Please don’t act like you have to be strong for me.”  
Catra stayed silent.  
“You know,” Adora whispered, “Someone wise once told me ‘You don’t have to be strong with me. That’s what I’m here for.’”  
At that, Catra let out a small chuckle.  
“Wow, princess,” Catra whispered, “Using my own words against me? Cruel.”

Adora smiled and Catra smiled back, some comfort finding its way back to her. She hugged Catra tighter, wishing that She-Ra had the ability to take away painful memories.

“I love you” Adora said forcefully, as if words could become something tangible that would wash all of Catra’s pain away.  
“I love you too” Catra said softly, returning Adora’s hug. 

Sleep tugged at them both, but as its seductive influence frayed the edges of Adora’s thoughts, she hung onto something resolutely. Something that replaced her fears and doubts. Something that would fuel her determination for whatever came next.

The Horde, undoubtedly, was the last place Adora ever wanted to be, but unfortunately the world was never as kind to grant her a free pass from ever returning, so here she was. Albeit, while the overgrowth of plants and lush greenery had brightened the place up, the Horde still felt…  
“Depressing.” Catra stated, breaking the silence as she and Adora picked their way through the makeshift city of metal.

“Yeah, it is.” Adora agreed, watching very carefully as she maneuvered her crutches through the maze of pipes and vines that covered the floor. After three months of grueling physical therapy, she was finally at a point where she could use her crutches more than a day a week.

“You know,” Catra continued, “I hope they let us watch it get torn down. Maybe they’ll even let us take a few swings ourselves.”  
She bumped into Adora lightly, careful not to knock her over.  
“You won’t be sad?” Adora asked, surprised that the thought of this place being demolished gave her the slightest hint of nostalgia.  
“Hell no!” Catra exclaimed.  
Adora raised an eyebrow.  
“Okay,” she conceded, “Maybe it will be a little weird.”  
“Try a lot weird,” Adora said, “No more Fright Zone? I mean I know this place isn’t exactly overflowing with good memories, but we still grew up here.”

Catra nodded, and they continued together until they reached the main building. Behind them, the racket caused by construction workers already dismantling the outer rings of the Fright Zone filled in the silence of their awe.

“What exactly are we supposed to do?” Adora asked, staring at the closed door.  
“I dunno. Sparkles just said to make sure there wasn’t anything we wanted to keep.”  
With a grunt, Catra slid the door open, and they stepped through into the dark, dusty hallways of the Horde.  
“Like what?” Adora’s voice echoed creepily through the silent halls.

As they made their way through the labyrinth of hallways that made up the Horde, strikingly stark memories of her childhood bombarded her. Down one hallway was the training room where she spent every day fighting hologram princesses. In another room, was where she and Catra would play hide and seek late into the night. It wasn’t until she saw the long, shoulder height scratch in the wall, that Adora realized where they were.  
She stopped and marveled at the wall’s scar.

“Why’d you- oh,” Catra said, looking at the mark she had her eyes locked on.  
“Yeah,” Adora whispered, low and in shock.

Catra’s eyes bounced nervously between her and the wall, trying to read Adora’s mood. Honestly, she couldn’t even read it herself. Mainly she just felt astounded that she and Catra had ever been on opposite sides.

Catra leaned forward, resting her lips on Adora’s forehead, her skin tingling at their touch. “This is not because I like you.”  
“Sureeee,” Adora drawled, too in the moment to make it playful.  
“Let’s just get this over with,” Catra murmured. Adora nodded and they resumed their slow lumber to their quarters. Eventually, they made it to the barracks, and they both stopped, unsure of what memories lay in store.

“Um, so Sparkles said Entrapta already copied all of the Horde’s files over to the Brightmoon computers. So we don’t have to worry about any of that stuff.” Catra was stalling for time. “Good thing too. I don’t know if I could figure out all that encryption stuff.”

Ignoring her, Adora did what both of them had been procrastinating for the past few moments, and slid the door open.

The room was so much smaller than she remembered; around eight bunk beds stuffed into a room that should really be called a storage closet. The air was stale and heavily laden with dust; an evident sign of abandonment. It took a minute, but eventually Adora spotted her and Catra’s old bed, and started to hop forward.

“Wait, Adora,” Catra said as she knelt down to see the space they had spent so much of their childhood in, “There’s something I never told you.”  
Adora laughed.   
“Catra,” she said, dragging out the last syllable of her name, “You’ve actually tried to kill me. What could be so bad that has you this nerv-” Adora stopped, spotting the thing that had Catra in a twist.

On the inner wall of their bed, there was a messy picture drawn, in the exact same spot she remembered it. The two of them had drawn it when they were no older than four, and it had stayed in its spot for nearly sixteen years. However, whereas Catra’s blue rendition of herself was the same as it had always been, three jagged claw marks ran through her own, pink drawing.

“Oh,” Adora muttered.  
“Fuck!” Catra spat, tears running down her face. “I’m sorry, Adora.”

Catra collapsed to her knees, and ran her hands through her hair, gripping it tightly as if she was trying to hold onto something. No anger or resentment bubbled inside of Adora, however, instead she just felt a huge surge of guilt.

“No, Catra. I’m sorry.” Anger with herself made her voice constrained, “I knew I hurt you. I just forgot how bad.”

In a desperate attempt to fix things, Adora spotted a pink marker on the nightstand. She grabbed it and immediately started to touch up her own picture, filling in the spaces Catra’s claws had left. After she was finished with the main touch ups, she drew a heart around the two faces and added some smaller details so that the claw marks were half as noticeable.  
“There.” She stated when finished, turning so Catra could see the finished product. “I think it looks better this way.”  
Catra crawled onto the bed to get a better look, sitting close to Adora but keeping her hands to herself. Her face was becoming a dark cloud of emotions, and Adora knew she would succumb to that darkness if she wasn’t distracted.

Adora wrapped her arm around Catra and pulled her closer.  
“It’s not a big deal,” Adora whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Catra let out a shaky breath, and Adora could feel the tension in her shoulders unwind.

“Yeah, I know.”  
“Should we take it with us?” she asked.  
Catra paused, taking the time to think before answering, “No.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah,” Catra said, sliding her hand into Adora’s, “It would feel kind of sacrilegious. Don’t you think?”

Adora nodded, and the two sat there for a few minutes, reveling in past memories of a different lifetime. 

“I think I know what will cheer you up.” She said, slowly hobbling onto her crutches once more.  
“What?” Catra laughed.  
“You’ll just have to follow me.” She taunted, hopping out of the room with as much speed as she could gather. It was a lucky thing she was getting pretty good at maneuvering her way with her crutches, since she was able to make it to the deck entrance before Catra caught up with her. With a smug look, she opened the door and stepped out onto the patio, glad to feel the cool winter air on her face. 

“What are you doing?” Catra asked, following her outside.

Adora didn’t say a word until she reached a familiar ladder rung, dropped her crutches, and began to pull herself up it. Without functioning legs, climbing to their old spot was a lot more difficult than it used to be, but with a fair amount of arm strength and grunting, she was able to pull herself up far enough to rest some weight on her “good” leg.  
All the while, Catra stood there, dumbfounded by her obstinate determination.

“C’mon,” Adora called after making it up a few more rungs, “You know the spot.”  
“You’re such a-”  
“Yeah, yeah. I know- an idiot.” Adora smiled, cutting Catra off, “Are you coming up or what?”  
“Fine.” Catra muttered, throwing her hands up in defeat. Despite how hard she tried to hide it, Adora could still see a smile tugging at her lips. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours of climbing, they made it to the top of the precariously balanced lookout. Her arms felt like gelatin, quivering after so much exertion, but the view of the setting sun was worth it.

It glimmered red on the horizon, its light filtered through the residual pollution of the Fright Zone, but it was the sun Adora had grown up watching. Just sitting there, watching the sun set with the only other person in the world that mattered, caused more nostalgia than any other reminder in the Fright Zone. Thousands of days spent in this spot washed over her, with no regards to the power and emotion they instilled in her. The memories flooded her brain like an angry tidal wave, washing away any frivolous thoughts and leaving only the strongest, most durable truths.

“Catra…” Adora began, unsure of how she was to phrase her question, “What if- what if we- um...”  
Catra kept her eyes trained on the horizon, but her whisper was attentive and knowing, “What, Adora?”  
Adora swallowed, hoping her idea wasn’t completely crazy, “What if we got married here?”

The proposal was ridiculous, she knew. The Fright Zone wasn’t a pleasant place for either of them, and it held more traumas than they both wanted to admit. It was the place Adora had abandoned Catra, and it was the place where Catra had become her worst self. Yet, here on this balcony, Adora didn’t feel any of the anxious pressure she did in the Fright Zone. This place had always been sacred to both of them; a heavenous oasis in a literal hell.

“We don’t have to.” Adora amended when Catra didn’t respond, “If it makes you uncomfortable we’ll find somewhere else.”

When Catra turned to her, she wore a somber look of happiness and understanding. It was the same look she had given her after the heart, when they were finally each other’s.  
“I was thinking the same thing.” Catra whispered, leaning forward and touching her lips to Adora’s.

Adora leaned into the kiss, deepening the connection she felt and pressing her body into Catra’s. Delicate, precise hands found their way to her hair, untying her ponytail and letting her hair fall to her shoulders. Catra pushed into her farther, guiding her to the ground until Adora was on her back and her girlfriend was on top of her. Her eyes still closed, Adora laced her fingers through Catra’s hair with one hand, and traced Catra’s arm with the other. Catra kissed her harder, and heat rose in Adora’s chest and cheeks.   
She felt Catra trying to unbutton her jacket in between kisses when a loud “Aghhh!” interrupted her progress. Quickly, Catra hopped up, un-straddling Adora, leaving her cold without the press of her body. Adora sat up and tried to stifle her harsh breathing before spotting who their unwitting interrupter was.

A purple and green bug-eyed mask stared at them from behind the railing.

“Entrapta!” Catra grumbled, trying to smooth her hair and regain composure in her face.   
“Sorry!” Entrapta squealed, still hiding behind her mask, “I’m sorry.”  
“It’s okay,” Adora assured her as Catra helped her stand, “What are you doing?”

Entrapta climbed the rest of the way up the ladder and onto the balcony.  
“Well,” she began, lifting her mask. Her face was flushed in embarrassment. “I was looking for you two, because Glimmer told me you would be in the Fright Zone today. I looked everywhere and I couldn’t find you, but then I heard you talking up here. So I climbed up and you guys were, um, kissing.”

Entrapta kept her eyes locked on the tracker pad she held in her hands, and fiddled with obsessively. It was a nervous habit she did whenever she was in awkward situations, which for her, was a lot.

“Why did you need to find us?” Catra asked, sounding kinder than normal. It was something Adora knew she was working really hard on.  
Entrapta’s face cleared and an inspired fervor lit behind her eyes.   
“I wanted to show you guys something!” She squealed, completely forgetting her earlier embarrassment, “I was running some tests on the portal remains and I collected the most fascinating data!”  
“What?” Catra and Adora barked in unison.  
“Yes!” Entrapta laughed maniacally, “I noticed that some of the equipment was still functional, so I started some tests and I got the most interesting readings!”

“No, no, no. Entrapta,” Adora looked at Catra who had suddenly gone pale, “You cannot be messing with that portal. Got it?”  
“But why?” Entrapta asked, “There’s still so much we don’t know about what happened that day!”  
“And we never will.” Adora snapped. The look of distress on Catra’s face was enough to make her stern.

“But as a scientist, I can’t morally abandon a project when so many questions have been raised!” Entrapta said, still oblivious to the mood of the conversation.  
“Entrapta, please,” It was Catra who spoke now, her voice hollow with grief, “Just please leave the portal alone. It was a mistake. I’ll let you do anything if you promise me you’ll leave the portal alone.”

Catra’s plea hung, outstretched in the air. Entrapta looked as though she was fighting a war internally before nodding her head reluctantly.

Catra sighed in relief alongside Adora. The last thing they needed was another tear in time and space being opened up.

“Great, what do you want to do?” Catra asked.

Entrapta furrowed her brow in thought before a look of inspiration cracked across her face. It was a look Adora knew a little too well, and was unsure if she was going to like what Entrapta said.

“I want to officiate your wedding!” Entrapta stated gleefully.

Adora looked at Catra in amusement. Out of all the things Entrapta could have asked for, she would have never of guessed this would ever be one of those things.

“I’m sorry Entrapta, but why do you want to do that?” Catra asked.  
“You see,” Entrapta started, “Perfuma’s been helping me get better at the whole ‘people’ thing.” Entrapta pull a list out of her pocket. “And I’m on number 57 ‘Help a friend out with a favor’.”  
The princess walked over and showed them the list item, written in Perfuma’s curly scrawl.

“Since you two are my friends, I could cross number 57 off my list!”

Adora was stunned into silence, but when neither of them answered, Entrapta’s face fell slightly.

“You are my friends, right?” she asked in a small voice.  
“Of course!” Adora said quickly, knowing Entrapta’s confidence with friends was not the best “We’re sorry. Its just a very odd request from you.”  
Entrapta looked at the both of them hopefully.  
“Sure!” Adora agreed, unsure of what exactly she was getting them into.

Catra looked at her questionably, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“Yes!” Entrapta squealed, pulling a pen out of her pocket and crossing out number 57 on her list. Without another word, she descended the ladder using her hair to climb and scribbling something on her notebook with her actual hands.

“Are you okay with this?” Adora asked as soon as Entrapta disappeared back inside.  
“Yes,” Catra laughed, pulling Adora into a hug, “There’s just one problem.”  
“What?”  
“I’m pretty sure Bow was under the impression that he would be officiating.”  
“Shit.” Adora cursed, “Well, I hope he doesn’t mind sharing the spotlight.”

The two burst into laughter and it wasn’t until they couldn’t breathe and were clutching their sides that they made their way down the ladder as well. 

The day hadn’t been totally depressing after all, Adora thought with a smile as they turned their backs on the Fright Zone and headed back home.

Three months of planning, invitations, and decorating passed in a blur, and before she could even count down the days, it was the afternoon before Adora’s wedding. At the moment, she was rooted in front of a mirror, watching as Glimmer applied and reapplied a thousand different shades of something called lipstick over her mouth, fretting over which one looked best.

“I don’t know Adora!” Glimmer seethed, “Should we go with a blush nude or a natural nude?”  
She held two lipsticks in front of her and waved them aggressively.   
“I don’t know, Glimmer,” Adora bit her lip, “They kind of look the same to me.”  
“Well, they’re not!” Glimmer said, clearly getting frustrated, “The nude looks very natural, but the pink brings out the blush in your cheeks. Which one do you like better?”

In truth, Adora couldn’t tell the difference if her sword was on the line, but wanting to move on she said, “The nude.”

“Okay,” Glimmer sighed, painting the color onto her lips again, “There you go!”

As Glimmer finished touch up on her face, Adora kept her eyes down and fiddled with her hands. She truly couldn’t believe that she was getting married today. It was almost exactly a year to this day that Horde Prime fell and the rebuilding of Etheria began. She was finally stepping into the future she had wished for at the Heart, and the reality of it all was hitting her harder than ever. It took everything she had to stay grounded and not completely disappear into a spiral of disbelief. 

She eyed Glimmer as she powdered light amounts of blush onto her cheeks, and glanced at Bow in the mirror, fiddling with the final alterations of her dress. She was grateful to have them here and helping her get ready, but there was an ache in her heart for Catra. They had spent the night together, affirming their love with kisses and touch, and when the morning came, they had been torn from each other at the insistence of others. Everyone said it was tradition for the brides to spend the day of their wedding away from each other, but at the moment, Adora didn’t give a damn about tradition. She wanted Catra here, holding her hand and telling her that she wasn’t living in a fantasy. Especially with the looming apprehension of walking down the aisle, she yearned for the comfort of Catra’s presence. 

“Alright!” Glimmer exclaimed, removing her hand from Adora’s face with a flourish, “Now time for hair!”

As Glimmer gathered Adora’s ashy blond hair into a loose ponytail, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was pleased to see that even with makeup, she still looked like herself.

Bow came up behind Glimmer, who was now putting several different clips in her hair, and kneeled down so their faces were at the same level.  
“Sooo,” Bow asked, his voice pitching with excitement, “How do you feel?”  
“To be honest,” Adora swallowed, “Really, really nervous.”  
“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” he fretted.  
“No, no, nothing like that,” she reconciled, “I’m just worried about… the whole going down the aisle thing.”

Sympathy leaked into Bow’s face as he looked at the wheelchair she was sitting in. 

“Adora, its okay!” Bow supported, “In the end, it doesn’t matter if you’re walking down the aisle, or rolling down it. What matters is that you and Catra love each other, right?”  
“Yeah, we do.” Adora smiled, pushing down the small flash of guilt she felt at Bow’s support. She hadn’t told him or Glimmer about her plans to walk down the aisle. She wanted it to be a surprise, but she also felt that if she revealed her plans to anyone before the time was right, her goals would be swiped right from under her. Netossa was the only one that knew what they were doing in all of their grueling hours of physical therapy, and she only had to keep it that way for a few more hours.

“There!” Glimmer exclaimed, breaking Adora’s train of thought, “What do you think of wearing your hair like this?”

Hesitantly, she looked away from Bow and back at herself in the mirror, and was shocked by what she saw.

Her hair was down and loose around her shoulders, but the poof she wore on the top of her head was still there, wispy and supported by ungodly amounts of hairspray. It was a hairstyle she had only ever seen once before, but the sight of it made her hands tremble and the air vanish from her lungs. Suddenly, something in her reality shifted, and she was no longer staring at her reflection in a mirror, but instead a running waterfall. Catra was ahead of her, her hand extended, but when Adora tried to take it, her hand fell through Catra’s and her entire world glitched. Horde Prime’s slick, icy voice broke her serenity and shattered her heart.  
“A beautiful dream,” he taunted, “Too bad you will not live to see it happen.”  
His voice was so real, so loud, so clear. The way it made her skin crawl and her hopes vanish was too intense. It felt more real than the distant shouts of her name; than the rough hands that shook her. 

Panic surged through Adora’s veins, making her heart hammer and her body quake. She fought to get air in and out of her lungs, but each breath felt like swallowing a handful of thumbtacks. She could feel herself sitting in front of the mirror, but jagged daggers of her flashback spliced with reality, making her head spin and ache.

She was drowning in a sea of confusion and trauma, but suddenly she felt a life line of gentle hands on her face, and she was brought to the surface. The hands were small and soft; the same ones she had held the night before.

“Shhh, shhh,” Catra’s voice broke through her panic.  
Adora tried to suck air in, but the tightness in her breath only made her panting sobs worse.  
“Its not real, its not real.” She sobbed, holding onto Catra. “I never made it out! I-I…”  
“Shhh,” Catra spoke softly, “This is real, Adora. I’m here, I’m real.”

Adora opened her eyes, expecting to be trapped in her vision, but instead she saw Catra crouched in front of her. Glimmer and Bow were in the background, wearing devastated expressions, and Scorpia stood in the doorway looking worried.

“Catra?” Adora croaked.   
“Its okay, Adora,” Catra sighed, “Its over now.”

Catra stood and wrapped her arms tightly around Adora’s head. She leaned into the hug, breathing in Catra’s scent, which brought her back to reality more than anything else. A hot flash of embarrassment washed over her as Catra broke away. She had never had a flashback in front of anyone besides Catra, and now she had had one in front of her two best friends, and on her wedding day no less.

“What set her off?” Catra asked Bow and Glimmer.  
“I was just doing her hair and then she started to have a hard time breathing. Nothing we said helped, so I came and got you.” Glimmer replied, sounding ashamed.

Catra looked back at Adora for a second before realization erased the worry from her face. She pulled Adora’s hair back and tied it into a ponytail again. Immediately, the anxiety Adora felt dissipated at the sight of her hair back to normal.  
“It was your hair, wasn’t it?” Catra asked, “It looked like it did in the hallucination, didn’t it?”

Adora nodded, and Catra gave a curt nod before absentmindedly tying her hair back herself. No one interrupted them as Catra delicately styled Adora’s hair so that she wore her normal ponytail but with a few alterations. She pulled two pieces of hair out to frame both sides of her face, and curled them with a heated rod. Next, she added a few curls to the tail of her hair, and finally clipped a gold broach to hide the hair tie.

Meanwhile, Glimmer gave her a small smile while wiping away her tears and reapplying her makeup. Before she was ready, Catra had given her a kiss and left for her room with Scorpia. The buzz of embarrassment was still hot on her skin, but she also had lost the feeling that she was constantly dissociating.

“Adora,” Glimmer began, tears brimming her eyes, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that your hair would trigger you. I didn’t even know you were having problems with PTSD.”  
“Its okay,” Adora assured her, “Its not your fault. I haven’t exactly been open about it.”  
“You should have told us,” Bow whispered.  
“I know.” Adora said, “Its just, I didn’t want you guys to see me as incapable. I already can’t walk, and I was worried you wouldn’t trust me anymore if you had known.”  
“Adora,” Glimmer sighed, “You’re the bravest person we know. How could we ever not trust you?”  
Adora smiled weakly before Bow gathered them all into a Best Friend Squad hug.   
“Alright!” Glimmer sighed, wiping away her tears and breaking up the hug, “We’ve got a wedding to get to! Let’s get you dressed!”

An hour later, she was dressed and at the Fright Zone, ready to be teleported to the balcony. The limited number guests who had been invited to the ceremony stood around in chatty crowds, catching up with each others lives. Mermista and Sea Hawk were having a lively conversation about boats while Scorpia and Perfuma tried to keep Frosta from using the entire Fright Zone as a jungle gym. Spinnerella and Micah were chatting peacefully, and Netossa stood behind Adora, her hands firmly gripping her wheelchair handles.

Catra, Bow and Glimmer were already on the balcony, supervising as Entrapta finished the final touches on the decorations. If she squinted hard enough, Adora could just make out three silhouettes against the setting sun; a small comfort she held onto to keep her nerves at bay.

“Are you ready?” Netossa whispered in her ear, “You’re going to kill it!”  
“Yeah, or fall flat on my face,” she laughed nervously.  
Netossa smirked.  
“Even if you do, we won’t love ya any less.”  
“How comforting.”

In an especially dramatic poof of sparkles, Glimmer teleported amidst the center of the crowd. She was wearing a white and gold ceremonial robe for the occasion, and Adora could hazard a guess that Glimmer was having more fun with the wedding than anyone else. She was and always will be a sucker for parties, traditions, and ceremonies. She smiled warmly in Adora’s direction, and she knew it was time.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen!” Glimmer called out to the crowd, using her most queenly voice, “If you could all connect hands, I will gladly teleport you to the balcony where the ceremony will start momentarily.”  
Then, in a much more childish voice, reminiscent of her younger self, she squealed, “It’s time!” before vanishing the entire crowd in a puff of her signature sparkles. 

“Question, why do they call nerves butterflies when they really feel like like whole-ass birds?” Adora asked, squeezing her stomach tightly.  
Netossa stepped in front of her and took her by the shoulders.  
“You’ve got this, girl!” she said, “ I’m so proud of you.”

At those words, something inside her melted, filling her with a comfortable warmth that quelled her stomach and gave her a boost of confidence. Netossa leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her forehead; like a mother gives to her child before sending them off in the world.

Glimmer reappeared in front of the two, wearing a wide smile and an abundance of happiness in her eyes. They grabbed her extended hands and teleported to the balcony, arriving behind a white sheet that had been set up to hide Catra from her view.

“I’m so happy for you,” Glimmer said as she hugged Adora tightly and kissed her on the cheek before teleporting to the end of the aisle.  
“You ready?” Netossa asked, a low and hopeful tune signaling the start of the wedding.  
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Adora stated, taking a deep breath to hold onto her confidence.

Netossa reached forward and pulled the white curtain back, pushing Adora onto the aisle and into the light of the setting sun.

The set up was so gorgeous, it stole the breath from her lungs. Rows of chairs, where the guests were seated, were set up on either side of a white, carpet aisle that lead to the end of the balcony. A white and gold flower arbor ended the aisle, and under it stood the most beautiful detail of all: Catra.   
She was flanked by Bow and Glimmer on her right, and Scorpia and Entrapta on her left, but they might as well have been invisible for how much attention Adora paid them. Her eyes were locked on Catra, who was dressed in a structured white suit with gold details that accented her eyes, making them pop more than normal. Her blazer flared out at her hips, and an untied, gold bow tie hung around her neck, reminding Adora of a very different night in which she had been astounded by Catra’s beauty. Most radiant of all, wasn’t her outfit, or the bouquet she clutched, or even the devastatingly attractive way her short hair had been styled. No, it was her smile.   
She was grinning shamelessly from ear to ear, with not a care in the world to be seen happy. To see her so unashamedly happy, sparked tears in Adora’s eyes and faith in her heart. She knew she could do this, because she had the best reward at the end.

Thus, not wasting any more time, Adora did the last thing anyone ever expected her to do. She stood and took a step forward.  
A step towards Catra, to happiness, and the rest of her life. Just like Netossa had said, it was the best feeling in the world, because her future was as certain as the steps she was taking towards it.


	3. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra and Adora are finally married in a cascade of tears, joy, and fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here is the final full chapter of my fanfiction! First off, I am so so sorry that this chapter took so long to upload. I wanted to make sure I wasn't rushing it, and took my time to construct something I was happy with, but I can confidently say it will be worth the wait. It also kind of worked out nicely that the actual wedding is posted right before Valentine's Day. Also, can I say thank you so much for the love this fic has received. When I first started on Ao3 I was sure I would get maybe ten reads and a kudos if I was lucky, but now this fic has reached 300 reads and 20 Kudos, and I cannot demonstrate how grateful I am. With love, enjoy the reading!

Catra had made a bet with Sparkles that she wasn’t going to cry today. It was the happiest day of her life, afterall. But the moment, no, the second Adora stood from her wheelchair and took her first unaided step towards her, she lost the bet dramatically.

Hot tears of relief, pride, joy and a thousand other emotions, snuck up on her, catching her by surprise and blurring her vision.

“Dammit Adora,” Catra said as she tilted her head back to prevent more tears from streaking down.

The crowd chuckled at her comment, but in the split second Catra took to survey their reactions, she saw that there wasn’t a dry eye to be seen. Everyone was crying; unapologetically allowing fountains of tears run down their faces, but Catra couldn’t judge. She was the worst out of all of them.

Adora was walking slowly and unsteadily, like a newborn deer, but dammit if it wasn’t the most beautiful thing Catra had ever seen. To see her walking after so many excruciating months of doubting the possibility, filled her with a kind of joy she wasn’t often subject to. 

Adora was stunning: dressed in a white gown with a thin gold belt across her waist. Her dress was low-cut and simple, but she was still the most beautiful thing Catra had ever seen. More beautiful than the lush greenery that had covered the planet nearly a year ago today. More beautiful than the feeling of love. More beautiful than the knowledge of freedom.

When she reached the end of the aisle, Adora broke her concentration long enough to look up at Catra with the purest look in the world, but her lapse of focus made her stumble.

Without a second thought, Catra completed the journey they had made to greet each other, and caught her by the arms before she could fall.

“Thanks,” She whispered, breathless.

Catra couldn’t think of anything to say, so instead, she dipped her into a kiss, trying to convey how proud she was. When they finally came up for air, Catra held her close and whispered, “You amaze me, you idiot”

“Umm,” Entrapta interrupted, clearly frazzled by the break in conduct, “Isn’t that not until the end?”

A gentle chuckle escaped the crowd; everyone too busy wiping away their own tears to laugh wholeheartedly. It took a few extra minutes for Glimmer to calm down a sobbing Bow to a point that he could actually stand between the two brides and perform the ceremony.

“Dear friends,” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat to try again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d be crying this early on.”

“Oh, really?” Catra snorted, unable to contain her sarcasm.

The audience giggled, but Bow just rolled his eyes and started again.

“Dear friends and family, we have gathered here today to celebrate one of the most extraordinary love stories I’ve had the pleasure to witness.”

His tone softened as he continued.

“I’ve known Catra and Adora both apart and together. Their journey began as childhood friends, and ended as lovers. They may have lost each other many times along the way, but I saw their uncanny ability to find each other each time.”

Bow chuckled, the sound tugging at the corners of Catra’s mouth until a smile forced its way onto her face.

“In friendship, rivalry, and peace they have always loved each other, and today we gather to make that love official. Because after all they have been through together, I think they deserve a little bit of recognition.”

Bow smiled and stepped aside, allowing Entrapta to take his place. For the first time, Entrapta was not wearing her violet coveralls, and instead donned a deep purple-velvet suit over a white shirt. She would have looked quite unlike herself, if it weren’t for the bug-eyed visor she kept on her head. 

For a second she stood there, smiling between the two of them, before Bow had to nudge her into saying something.

“Oh, right!” she exclaimed, jumping out of her thoughts, “The vows!”

Quickly, she turned and grabbed something out of Glimmer’s hands. It was a thick, white sash that soon found itself being wrapped around Catra and Adora’s entwined hands. Threads of golden magic thrummed through the fabric, pulsing against Catra’s skin. Glimmer had explained to her that the sash was a ceremonial tradition of Etherian weddings. It symbolized the bond being created as two Etherians took each other to be their own. To be honest, at the time, the idea of a magical cloth dictating her wedding, had made Catra a little uneasy. She didn’t exactly have the best track record with magic.

Now, however, as she felt the warm familiarity of Adora’s hands in her own, the cloth added a weighty comfort that assured Catra she wasn’t living in a dream.

“Catra and Adora will now recite their vows!” Entrapta declared to the audience, “Starting with Catra!”

Catra froze; being in this kind of positive spotlight was still so new to her. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her, as if their gaze was a tangible force pushing on her from every angle. Her heart hammered, and she could feel her grip on composure slipping. A heavy pressure on her shoulder broke her from her floating sense of panic, and made her turn her head. Scorpia stood directly behind her; smiling warmly and squeezing her shoulder in support.

A warm rush of gratitude for her presence steeled Catra’s nerves. She and Scorpia had spent the entire day practicing. She gave Scorpia a curt nod and faced Adora again, a new steely grit guiding her determination.

She found herself avoiding Adora’s gaze; worried she might disappoint her with a shaky speech or words that didn’t fully express how much she loved her. Scorpia’s claw left her shoulder, and she took a deep breath.

She had to do this. She wanted to. And dammit if she didn’t give it her all.

Adora’s eyes shimmered with tears, but the second Catra locked onto them, a serene blanket of confidence was pulled over her. She was looking at the most beautiful, kindest person in the world, and all she had to do was tell her how much she was loved. It would be the easiest thing in the world.

“Adora,” her voice was raw with emotion, but steady, “I have loved you my entire life. Every second of every day, all my heart ever wanted was you. Even if my brain was telling me something else. I wasted so much time trying to ignore how much I loved you, and it kills me that we can’t get that time back. But I’m here today to make sure the entire future is ours.”

“I love you so much, Adora. You make me want to be a better person every day. You give me a kind of happiness that I never thought I could feel.”

She took a deep breath, pausing before she continued.

“The stars in Etheria are very special. We didn’t always have them, and a lot of us lived our lives, not knowing they even existed. But we felt their absence. We knew there had to be something greater than just a vast expanse of sky.”

“You are my stars, Adora. Even when I thought you were gone, that we were finished, I could still feel your absence. And now that I finally have my stars, I don’t know how I ever lived without them.”

Sparkling tears that caught the fiery light of the setting sun, cascaded down Adora’s cheeks, but the smile on her face was as resolute as ever. All Catra wanted to do was wipe away her tears and kiss her, but she fought back her will for composure’s sake. 

She heard Bow sniff beside her, but she kept her sight locked on Adora.

“Okay.” Bow sighed, trying to regain his decorum, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it, but Adora, you’re next.” 

Adora looked at Bow for a second, nodding to confirm her start. Catra felt her squeeze her hands beneath the cloth, and Catra squeezed back.

“Catra,” Adora began, her voice light and breathless, “When I left the Horde, I thought I was leaving behind a life of manipulation and treachery. I thought my life was going to be so much brighter and simpler. While it did get brighter in many ways-” 

Adora directed her gaze to Bow and Glimmer for a second, before looking back at Catra.

“It didn’t get any simpler. And it sure as hell didn’t get easier. I was fighting a war. A war where my best friend was on the opposing front. Even though I didn’t know it at the time, I was in love with the you, Catra. That’s probably why it hurt so much to fight you.”

Adora lowered her voice, and looked down at her hands.

“It hurt soo much. Anytime we fought, I would just go home and cry, because I missed  _ you  _ so much.”

Catra’s heart twisted painfully in her chest. 

“But I don’t have to miss you anymore, Catra.” Adora smiled and her voice grew stronger, “Today I get to tell you that I love you. Today I promise you and you promise me that we’ll look out for each other, live for each other, and try to keep each other sane.”

Catra laughed quietly, “That’s a tall order, Princess.” 

The crowd giggled and Adora smiled, sending a flutter of warmth to her stomach.

“Today I get the promise of an entire future with you, and I’m so excited for it.”

Catra pursed her lips tightly, fighting back the dam of tears she could feel building in her eyes. She only had to keep them in for a few more minutes.

Bow stood smiling in between them, the tears sparkling in his eyes like the jewels scattered throughout Brightmoon. He didn’t say anything until Glimmer stepped up and gave him a slight nudge.

“Bow!” She whispered through gritted teeth.

He jumped and shook himself from his dopey trance.

“Hahaha, well that’s embarrassing,” he muttered, “I’m sorry, that was just- just… incredible.” He smiled apologetically. “You two have come so far, and it will now be my great pleasure to take you one step further.”

“Ahem. Do you, Catra and Adora, vow to protect, serve, and love each other as long as you both shall live?”

Together they responded, “I do.”

“No matter in sickness or in health, in prosperity or in struggle, in agreement or in disagreement, do you promise to sustain these vows?

“I promise.”

“Under the sworn oath of Etherian right and tradition, may your love be blessed by the stars above. I pronounce you wife and wife until the end of all time!”

Bow removed the cloth from their hands and kissed them both on the cheek. Catra bounced on the balls on her feet, anxious to leap forward and envelope Adora in her arms, but she knew she was supposed to wait for a cue. Glimmer would kill her if she broke protocol.

The cue was supposed to come from Entrapta, who at the moment was smiling brightly and twiddling her thumbs. Bow sighed exasperatedly and whispered something into her ear.

“Ohhh,” she exclaimed after Bow pulled away, “I thought they already did that, you know in the beginning?”

He shook his head and pinched his nose, “Please, Entrapta?”

“Of course,” Entrapta squealed, stepping into his spot. Usually her lack of awareness would set Catra on edge, but today it was endearing. Actually, lately, Catra had begun to appreciate all of Entrapta’s quirks.

“You can kiss now!” Entrapta screeched gleefully, and without another word, Catra lunged forward, and dipped Adora into a forceful, electrified kiss.

Summer, sunshine, and sparklers was all Catra could feel as their lips met and the space finally closed between them. She could feel Adora’s smile and laugh, and she pulled away, just barely, to look into her eyes and return the grin.

“We did it,” Adora whispered.

“Hell yeah we did.” Catra said, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against Adora’s as she pulled them both out of the dip.

The second they both were upright, the crowd burst into whoops and cheers. Catra looked out into the crowd and found herself shocked by the pulse of warmth she felt to see so many happy faces.

Scorpia clapped her on the back, “Way to go Wildcat!”

Catra smiled so hard, her cheeks hurt, and the best part was, she couldn’t stop smiling. Rays of golden light were the last remnants of the setting sun. Golden flecks refracted off of the soon to be barren landscape of the Fright Zone. It was to be demolished the next day, and Catra couldn’t help but see her and Adora’s marriage as the perfect send off.

A final fuck you to the place that tried to break them. 

It might have succeeded, but it didn’t matter if they were broken, as long as they were broken together.

With a final gaze, Catra tore her eyes away from the captivating scene before her and turned her attention back to Adora. Her bride. Her everything.

She smiled, allowing the warmth budding in her chest to flood every cell in her body. She needn’t waste any more time on the Fright Zone. She had a party to get to. 

* * *

  
  


The Brightmoon party was more of a rager than a wedding reception. A dance floor and orchestra had been set up beneath strings of tiny fairy lights, that to the drunken eye, looked like stars hovering above the dancing crowd’s heads. The overflowing tables of the banquet were constantly being attacked by hungry guests who filled their plates with roast duck, buttery dinner rolls, and tiny pastries. Hundreds of people filtered in and out of the party, stopping by only for a few minutes, or staying well past mid-morning. The party served as both Catra and Adora’s wedding reception, and the one year anniversary of Horde Prime’s defeat, resulting in a much larger and boisterous crowd than those who had been invited to the ceremony. People from all over Etheria came to let loose and celebrate a year of freedom and no conflict, as well as wish the newly-weds congratulations. 

In a different life, Catra would have been adverse to such a loud and happy crowd of people, but today, with this fresh start, the party’s mood only spurred her spirits further.

Adora sat in a chair on the outer rinks of the dance floor, smiling brightly and clapping her hands to the beat of a lively, yet complicated group dance. Catra used her foot to pull a chair up next to Adora’s, and handed off one of the two champagne flutes to her overjoyed wife. Wow, wife, that word felt unfamiliar yet exciting in Catra’s mind.

“Thank you!” Adora grinned, yelling slightly to be heard over the music.

Catra smiled and slid her hand into Adora’s, turning her attention back to the party. A lot of people in the crowd were people she didn’t recognize, but smack dab in the center of the party’s essence were Bow, Glimmer, Sea Hawk, and Scorpia, performing the most ridiculous group dance she had ever scene. Perfuma stood next to the four, tapping her foot in time to the beat, but not joining in no matter how many times Scorpia beckoned her. Next to Perfuma stood Mermista, her hand pinching her nose and undoubtedly letting out a particularly long groan. It was only through the small blush in her annoyed expression that Catra could tell Mermista was actually having fun.

“You’re friends sure do know how to party.” Catra snickered.

Adora rolled her eyes but smiled. “When are you going to admit that they’re your friends too?”

“Well, considering I still won’t say that I like you, count on in a decade or so.”

Adora laughed, and for a second it was the only sound that overpowered the boisterous din of the party, causing the heat of blush to rise in Catra’s cheeks. She took a sip of champagne to the calm the rush of nerves she felt, and set the flute down next to her feet.

Awkwardly, she stood and extended her hand to Adora. “Do you want to dance?”

This time, Adora blushed and smiled into her lap, “I dunno Catra. I’m still not that steady on my feet and I don’t want to embarrass- woah!”

Before she could stammer more, Catra grabbed her hand and yanked her from her chair and into her arms, quickly spinning them both onto the dance floor.

“C’mon Princess,” she purred, “I think we’re long overdue for a dance that doesn’t end in disaster.”

  
Adora smiled and leaned further into Catra’s embrace, who was making sure she had a supportive hand on her the entire time. After the wedding, when they had had a few moments to themselves, Adora had explained how she had spent the last few months in physical therapy, working her ass off to walk down the aisle. She still had to wear a supportive brace on one leg, but her hard work had paid off, and she wouldn’t have to use a wheelchair or crutches anymore.

That didn’t make her any better of a dancer, however. Adora stumbled and tripped through the steps, making Catra erupt into a ferocious fit of laughter anytime Adora’s foot landed on her own.

After a few minutes, the music changed to a tune that’s familiarity planted an idea in Catra’s mind. She swapped the carefree grin she had been adorning the entire night, for a devilishly sly smile and pulled Adora close to her. Catching on, Adora put on her best attempt at a suspicious scowl as they moved together to the music.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m having a blast.” Catra said. She was trying her best to tamp down the blush rising in her cheeks just as she had all those years ago, but love and softness won her over. 

“Whatever, you’re planning, Catra, it won’t work.” Adora said, trying and failing to keep the giggle out of her voice.

Catra spun out, trying desperately to get her smile under control, but it was no use. She was no where as adept as hiding her feelings as she had been at Princess Prom. She spun back to Adora, leaning her back into her shoulder and staring directly into Adora’s loving eyes.

“Maybe my plan won’t work,” She winked, pleased to see the heavy blush surfacing in Adora’s face as well, “But then again...”

She grabbed Adora’s shoulder and waist, and in one fluid motion, dipped her to the ground. Their bodies were pressed much closer than they had been at Princess Prom, but she felt the same rush of excitement she had felt the last time. It was nice to see that some things stayed the same.

“Maybe it already has.” She smirked. 

Then, Catra decided to do the thing every inch of her had begged to do last time. She lifted Adora slightly and brought their heads together so she could plant a kiss on her lips. She kissed her long and slow, savoring the taste and feel of her. Adora kissed her back just as hungrily, and a sense of gratitude fluttered in her chest. 

She lifted Adora out of the dip, but didn’t break their connection until wolf whistles and cheering broke into her zone of contentment. She broke away from Adora to see a crowd of people had circled them while they had danced. Bow and Glimmer were in the forefront, clapping and whistling with much more gusto than Catra thought should be legal.

Hot embarrassment flushed her cheeks as she escorted Adora off the dance floor and back to their seats. Glimmer was now wrangling the microphone from the DJ, and Catra desperately wanted to be out of the direct spotlight when whatever she had planned was set in motion. 

A harsh cough cut through the orchestral and chattering din of the party, drawing everyone’s attention to Glimmer, who now stood in the center of the dance floor and held a microphone to her mouth.

“Welcome everyone!” Glimmer projected, “I hope you all are having a great time!”

The crowd responded with a mumble of contentment, punctuated by the alcohol laiden whoops of a Sea Hawk that was currently beside a very exasperated Mermista.

“I’m glad to hear!” She responded, “As many of you know, today marks the one year anniversary of Horde Prime’s defeat.”

At that, the crow relayed a much more enthusiastic response.

“And while this night is very much in celebration of Etheria’s freedom, it also marks the union of two very important people.”

Glimmer smiled at them both before continuing.

“When I first met Adora, I went from seeing her as a sworn enemy to one of my closest friends in a matter of a few days. We immediately clicked, and a sisterhood was born. I was never adept at making friends, but under the pressure of war, a diamond hard friendship was born between me and her. She was and is my sister. She helped me through one of the toughest times of my life, and she has always looked out for me as well as the rest of Etheria. I’ve seen her struggle and persevere, and it makes me immensely happy to know that she’s finally finding her own peace with Catra. I love you, Adora.”

Catra looked beside her to see Adora furiously wiping the tears from her eyes before standing up and sprinting to hug Glimmer. A chorus of “awww”s erupted from the crowd as the two friends broke apart and Adora made her way back to Catra’s side.

“Now Catra on the other hand…” Glimmer panned, earning a laugh from Catra and several of her friends from the crowd, “I had quite the different experience with her.”   
“We started out as enemies. As vengeful and opposite as you could get. Until, one day, I discovered that we weren’t as opposite as I had thought.”

“You see, I had always thought Catra was a stubborn brat who didn’t care about anyone. Sorry, horde scum.” A smirk flicked the corner of Glimmer’s mouth upwards at the same time one made it onto her own face.

“And was she a stubborn brat? Yes, yes she was. But I was off the mark on the whole ‘not caring about anyone’ bit. It is because Catra has this uncanny ability to never let go of her love for someone, that I am here talking to you today. She saved my life out of love, not for me, but for Adora. After that, I had no doubt that Catra wasn’t a truly bad person, she was just suffering ongoing heartbreak and dealing with it in unhealthy ways.”

“Just like I had at one point.”

“Now, I’m as proud as ever to call Catra my friend. My family. We’ve had our struggles and our differences, but now we can look back on those with love and laughter.”

A tight knot of emotion had worked its way into Catra’s chest, and she had an overwhelming urge to cry. 

“Catra, you and Adora deserve each other more than anything else. I’ve seen what the power of your love can do, and that power is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. And I know you’re going to hate me for saying this, but you’re just going to have to deal with it. I love you, Horde Scum, and there’s no escaping this family.”

The crowd applauded the end of her speech, but Catra didn’t so much as move a finger. If she did she feared the outcome.

“Are you okay, Catra?” Adora asked.

“I’m fine.” she snapped, her voice wet with the sob she was trying to swallow.

She felt tears well in the corners of her eyes and turned away so she could blink them back.

“Oh my Etheria!” Adora exclaimed, “You’re crying!”

“What?!” she protested, “Am not! I just have something in my eyes.”

“Yeah, tears.” Adora taunted.

“Glimmer!” she yelled before Catra could clamp a hand over her mouth, “Come over here!” 

In an instant, Glimmer teleported in front of Catra, wearing a haughty look.

“You made Catra cry!” Adora exclaimed.

“You did not! I don’t cry!” Catra refused indignantly.

“Is that true?” Glimmer leered, “Because I’m pretty sure I saw you crying buckets at the ceremony, and you’re eyes do look pretty wet.”

Catra rolled her eyes and didn’t respond, but before Glimmer could walk away, Catra pulled her into a tight hug and whispered, “Thanks, Sparkles. For- you know.”

“Anytime, Horde Scum.”

They fell into a sort of groove for the rest of the night. They would spent half an hour or so, talking with their friends, then they would find themselves on the dance floor, lulled into throwing their bodies around without concern by the beckoning influence of alcohol. At one point, Netossa took Adora away for a dance, smiling like a proud parent the entire time. At the sight of them, Catra felt a small twinge of jealousy. 

Her longing for the approval and praise from someone that actually cared for her was still there. Of course it was. But Catra had accepted the wall her past actions put up between her and the older princesses. It was hard to mentor someone who had tried to kill you multiple times. Still, it didn’t erase dull ache of her heart when she saw the way Netossa looked at Adora. 

Luckily, there was plenty of alcohol to help her numb the painful memories; so she indulged herself with a few more flutes of champagne.

When it was time to cut cake, Catra had enough drinks in her system to make her chest buzz and the world seem a little less harsh, erasing her longing pang for non-abusive parentage.

The cake was gorgeous and big enough to feed the entire party three times over. The decorations were simple: alternating flavors of chocolate and vanilla roughly iced so the edges were still visible. Red and gold flowers were sporadically placed across the layers, and their heavy perfume mixed intoxicatingly with the sugary scent of the icing.

Glimmer had told her it was customary for the couple to feed each other from their own plates, and so Catra obliged. She lured Adora into a false sense of security, waving her fork tantalizingly in front of her nose, before discarding it with a flourish and instead slamming the entire slice in her face. She could practically hear Glimmer’s eye roll over hear own high pitched laugh, but everyone else seemed to enjoy her little prank. Bow especially, found it funny, as he was doubled over, gasping for air through his hiccuping guffaws. 

The sight only made Catra laugh harder, until she too was clutching her sides and struggling for air. She couldn’t tell if it was from the exhilaration of the night, or just the alcohol, but Catra felt like a star, floating above despair and shining through the darkness. 

Well, that was until she was met with a handful of cake being smeared across her face. She opened her stinging eyes to see Adora smiling triumphantly, her fingers laden with the evidence of her actions. This act of treachery, started an all out war.

Alliances were formed; Catra, Scorpia, Perfuma and Glimmer were on one side, and Adora, Bow, Frosta, and Sea Hawk on the other. Seeing as all of them had experience with actual war, it was the food fight of the ages. Cake was no longer the sole option for artillery: dinner role grenades and explosions of mashed potatoes bombarded each side with no mercy. By the end, everyone was covered in leftovers, and scraps of food peppered the battlefield like fallen soldiers. Luckily, Glimmer knew a cleaning rune that left no work for the servants, and made any stains or smears on everyone’s clothes disappear. 

Soon enough afterwards, Catra found herself on the dance floor with Adora yet again. Except this time, they were pressed together tightly and swaying slightly to the romantic tune of a slow song. 

“This has been amazing,” Adora whispered, leaning forward and kissing her gently. Catra could still taste the sweet tang of icing on her lips, and a shudder of heat ran through her. Suddenly, all Catra wanted to do was be alone with her.

“Do you want to get out of here?” She whispered back, anticipation leaking into her voice.

Light as air, Adora breathed “Yes” into her ear, sending a trail of goosebumps down her neck. Without another word, Catra grabbed her hand and dragged her away further and further away from the light and warmth of the party. Giggling like little kids, they ran into the night and to the private embrace of seclusion.

* * *

The next morning, Catra woke to rustle of bedcovers and the chirping of springtime birds. Golden light pilfered through the foggy windows of the cabin they had slept in the night before. 

The cabin used to be a safe house built for the queen and her family in case of attack, but Glimmer had told them they were more than welcome to use it as a way to spend some time together after they were married. It was conveniently nestled away in the Whispering Woods, hidden under the thick canopy of trees and accentuated by fields of wildflowers and a small babbling brook.

Catra’s head throbbed dully, an aftereffect of all the alcohol she had consumed last night. Slowly she sat up and squinted around the room. It would be no use going back to sleep now that Adora was awake. Both of them were accustomed to early mornings in the Horde, but while Catra had learned to appreciate the underrated gift of sleeping in, Adora couldn’t stay in bed for the life of her.

Thinking of Adora, Catra noticed she had left the room without so much as a “Good morning”. As she dressed, her curiosity was answered by the acrid smell of burnt food and smoke. Quickly, she threw on a loose blouse and canvas shorts, and darted out of the room and into the main foyer.

Sure enough, there Adora stood, sucking on her thumb while simultaneously trying to salvage something that might have once been eggs.

“Adora? What are you doing?” She asked, her hand on her hip.

Her wife spun around, wearing the most hilarious mix of shock and embarrassment on her face. She removed her thumb from her mouth, where Catra saw the beginnings of an angry red blister, and sighed, “I was trying to make you breakfast.”

  
“With what cooking experience?” She laughed, taking the pan from Adora’s hand and depositing it in the sink.

“I didn’t think it would be that hard,” Adora groaned.

“Yeah, well go hold that under cold water. I’ll finish breakfast.” Catra directed Adora to the sink, and then turned her attention to the eggs. As she worked, they talked about everything. The wedding, the vows, the party, the moonlit hours of their night in the cabin before they fell asleep.

By the time Catra was finished, their conversation had trailed off with an awkward blush, but at least the eggs were edible. They were nothing compared to what the kitchens at Brightmoon could do, but Catra was glad to see all her hours watching the chefs at work had paid off. They ate in silence, their hunger amplified by the smell of food.

“So, what do you want to do for our first day being married?” Adora asked, her mouth full of eggs.

Swallowing the last bite of her food, Catra laughed and set her fork down. She leaned forward and pulled her hair out of its ponytail, snapping the rubber band around her wrist as she watched Adora’s hair cascade around her shoulders. Before she knew it, her instincts kicked in, and her arms had wrapped around Adora’s waist, and her lips had found the soft skin of her neck.

Slowly and gently, she trailed her kisses up Adora’s neck until her mouth was next to her ear.

“I have a few things in mind.” She whispered, earning a small, delighted gasp from Adora. She continued to kiss her behind her ear, down her neck, and on her collarbone: not to hard to hurt her, but hard enough that bruises would form the next day. She only stopped when Adora’s hand cupped her chin and guided it up to her face so their eyes could meet.

Looking into her eyes was like looking at the galactic sky; she got so lost in their warmth and light, but she was never lead astray by the endless future they held. This profound sense of connection was unlike anything Catra had experienced before, but as easily as it was forged, it was broken by the dull knocking on wood and the voice that spoke afterwards.

“Adora! Catra!” It was Glimmer yelling beyond the door, “I need you to open the door!”

She broke away from Adora with an exasperated groan, “I thought the whole point of being here was so we could be alone.”

“You should open it.” Adora sighed, her breath a little shorter than usual, “I’m sure Glimmer wouldn’t bother us unless it was important.

  
Catra rolled her eyes and collected their plates as she made her way to the door.

“Are you sure about that?” Catra asked, “Your friends are pretty clingy.”

“ _ Our _ friends.” Adora corrected as Catra opened the door to reveal a disheveled Glimmer. Her hair was unbrushed and she was still in her party clothes from the night before. Catra’s heart immediately dropped; something big had happened, and in their case, big was never good.

“What are you doing here?” Catra asked, “Why are you still in your clothes from last night? Did you sleep like that?”

“I never actually slept last night.” Her tone was surprising light for her unexpected appearance.

“What? Why?” Adora came up behind her and wrapped her arm protectively around her shoulder.

“You guys are never going to believe what happened last night.” Glimmer said, a smile creeping onto her face.

“Oh great. Did Sea Hawk set something on fire?” Catra interjected, visions of the palace alight in flames burning in her mind’s eye.

“No- well yes. But that’s not what I came here to tell you.” Glimmer stuttered.

“Spit it out, Sparkles. You’re making me worried”

“Okay, so after you left last night- which thanks for letting us know” Glimmer said accusingly.

“Glimmer…” Adora urged.

"Right, so anyways. After you guys snuck away from your own wedding, these two people showed up at the party. And well, they said- I mean we were totally shocked too- and we meant to get you guys right away- but we wanted to make sure their claims were true. I actually confirmed them no less than 15 minutes ago, and then I came straight to you guys of course.”

Her rambling was seriously setting Catra on edge. Glimmer was usually so well spoken, unless she was excited about something, but Catra could not think of a single thing that would constitute such urgent yet good news.

“Anyways the thing I’m trying to say is… the claims check out.”

“What claims, Glimmer?” Adora pressed, “We’re really lost.”

“They- they…” Glimmer swallowed and looked Catra in the eyes, no hints of mockery to be seen, “Catra, these people are claiming to be your parents.”

Without warning, the world seemed to stop and go silent. The slow  _ thump-thump _ of her heart pounded in her ears, but the rest of the world was drowned out by the shock the words that refused to register in her brain. She couldn’t hear the rest of Glimmers rambling explanation, nor the sharp gasp Adora’s widening mouth was surely emitting, and she definitely couldn’t hear the crash of breaking china, as the plates slipped from her hands and clattered across the floor.

All she could hear was the  _ thump, thump, thump _ of a heart that had long since given up hope for her parents’ survival. A heart that had been broken and mended a thousand times, and was being opened up again once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha! I bet you guys are hating me right now. One of the many joys of being an author is having the god-given right to emotionally destroy and frustrate my readers. I wanted to leave you guys on a cliffhanger because if enough people want me to, I will write another series. (And by enough people, I literally mean only 1 person has to ask lol). Anyways, I hope you guys liked the last chapter. I may or may not be adding something a little extra in the next couple of days, so just keep an eye out for updates. Thank you guys so so much and I just hope you all don't hate me too much. Til' we meet again, Friends of Mara!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what your guy's thoughts were! I loved writing the first part of this fan fiction, and I hope its as good as I think it is. I'm planning to have the second out of three parts posted before Christmas, so hopefully you guys won't have to wait too long. As always, criticism is always welcome in the comments, and I adore knowing you guys like my writing! Also, it would be an absolute dream come true if anyone ever made fan art inspired by my work. So if you're an artist and want to draw something related to this fic, feel free! I love fan art, but I'm more talented at writing than I am drawing. :) Just promise you'll show me the final product!  
> See you soon Friends of Mara!


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